WINDSOR, ON —  The group charged with building the new Gordie Howe International Bridge crossed another milestone this week when it requested qualifications from companies that would like to be part in the more than $2 billion project.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) announced this is the first stage in the procurement process to select a private sector partner that will serve as the project’s primary contractor.

Respondents will be evaluated on their experience and qualifications to deliver and finance large and complex infrastructure projects, according to WDBA. Following a rigorous evaluation process, they will be invited to participate in the second stage of the procurement process, the request for proposals, expected in late 2015.

Plans call for the bridge linking Windor with Detroit to be completed in 2020.

“We anticipate international interest in this seminal project given the immense popularity of best-in-class global infrastructure assets, and look forward to seeing what the private sector has to offer,” said Mark McQueen, chairman of the WDBA board of directors. “Our overarching goal is to build a safe, efficient bridge as fast as possible. The more financial and project risk that we can transfer to the eventual winning bidder, the better this procurement will be for Canadian taxpayers.”

WDBA said it developed the request for qualifications with input from Transport Canada, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, and other state, provincial and federal organizations.

The WDBA is a not-for-profit Canadian Crown corporation and will manage the procurement process for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge through a public-private partnership and will also set and collect all tolls, competing with the nearby Ambassador Bridge.